Midlife Transitions in Women: Cultural and Individual Factors

✍ Scribed by Suzanne Degges-White

• Publisher: American Counseling Association
• Year: 2001
• Tongue: English
• Weight: 487 KB
• Volume: 3
• Category: Article
• ISSN: 1524-6817
• DOI: 10.1002/j.2161-0029.2001.tb00100.x

✦ Synopsis

Traditional views of women at midlfe are ofZen inaccurate and may be deleterious to the emotional and physical well-being of women. The author reviews quantitative and qualitative research that may help guide counselors in their work with midlrfe women.

Stories of the "midlife man" have saturated our culture and include images of balding men purchasing sexy red sports cars and abandoning their midlife wives for youthful replacements. Female markers of midlife include menopausal symptoms, targeted ads for reconstructive surgeries, and "empty nests." There is a stark contrast between the very active and positive choices of midlife men and the very reactive and negative markers of mi4life women.

Although balding men may now seek treatment for this condition through chemical or surgical means, they are proving their enduring value by winning the young admirer, climbing the corporate ladder, and purchasing the new two-seater. Women, however, are seen as victims of the aging process. With the end of fertility often comes the departure of children from the home, and women are left to fight the natural shifting of their bodies in order to fight for their spouses. Because I view this as a very negative, sterile view of women at midlife, in this article I address the physical and psychological changes that herald midlife transitions for women and provide recommendations for counselors who work with women who are moving through this passage.

BACKGROUND

Menopause, defined as the cessation of menses for a period of 12 consecutive months, generally occurs between the ages of 40 and 58, with an average age o f about 51 (North American Menopause Society, 2001